Major Steven Zumbrun (USAMRIID[1], U.S. Department of Defense) presented data on the in vitro assessment of DNV3681 against pathogens classified as "high priority" bioterrorist threats, last week in San Francisco.

DNV3681 has demonstrated exceptional activity against Bacillus anthracis, superior to that of Ciprofloxacin, one of the reference treatments.

On the basis of these data, USAMRIID intends to conduct the in vivo assessment of DNV3681 against Bacillus anthracis, the bacterium that causes anthrax.

DEINOVE (Euronext Growth Paris : ALDEI), a French biotech company that uses a disruptive approach to develop innovative antibiotics and bio-based active ingredients for cosmetics and nutrition, disclosed the details of the paper presented last Friday at the ASM Microbe 2019 congress by Major Steven Zumbrun, PhD in Microbiology at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID).

Major Steven Zumbrun presented the results of the in vitro evaluation of DNV3681 against Bacillus anthracis and Francisella tularensis. He concluded that DNV3681 has "exceptional activity" against these two bio-threat agents. The USAMRIID team determined the efficacy of DNV3681 by measuring its MIC90, the minimum concentration necessary to inhibit the growth of 90% of a panel of test bacterial isolates. This value is 0.015 µg/ml against Bacillus anthracis, making it a more effective molecule than Ciprofloxacin.

Bacillus anthracis and Francisella tularensis are classified as two of the most dangerous possible biological weapons. The standard of care against Bacillus anthracis and Francisella tularensis is currently Ciprofloxacin, a synthetic large spectrum antibiotic from the fluoroquinolones’ family. Several pathogenic bacterial species have already developed a resistance against this family of antibiotics and the long treatment needed for Post-exposure Prophylaxis of Anthrax very often triggers a major intestinal microbiota imbalance leading to likely Clostridioides difficile infections. Therefore, there is an urgency to make efficient and validated alternatives available. The fact that the DNV3681 is precisely very active against both Bacillus anthracis and Clostridioides difficile makes it an ideal candidate to fulfill that need.

Dr Georges Gaudriault, Scientific Director of Deinove and co-author of the study, said:

"In addition to its superior in vitro efficacy to current treatments, the results of the clinical trials that we are currently conducting for the treatment of Clostridioides difficile infections have shown that DNV3681 also has the advantage of having a limited impact on the intestinal microbiota in healthy volunteers, thus limiting the risks of associated complications. We closely follow the research conducted by USAMRIID, who is considering, on the basis of the results presented at ASM Microbe 2019, an in vivo evaluation of our antibiotic candidate. »

The poster "DNV3681 is a Novel Quinolonyl-Oxazolidinone Antibacterial with Potent Activity against Biothreat Pathogens" is available by clicking here.

[1] The USAMRIID (U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases) is the U.S. Army’s main institution and facility for defensive research into countermeasures against biological warfare